A Tale of Two Outlaws
by Belle Book
Summary: Carmen decides to go back in time to Los Angeles in the time of Zorro.  A crossover between
1. The New Challenge

"A Tale of Two Outlaws"  
by Belle Book  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Carmen Sandiego, Ivy, Zack, the Chief, and Armando  
Arguello are characters created by Broderbund  
Software and Dic Productions. Zorro/Don Diego de  
la Vega and Don Alejandro are characters created  
by Johnston McCulley, while Victoria Escalante,  
Felipe, Sergeant Mendoza, and Alcalde Ignacio  
deSoto are characters created by New World Pro-  
ductions. All the Zorro characters are copy-  
righted by Zorro Productions, while all the  
Carmen characters are copyrighted by Dic. The  
villain in this story is my own creation.  
  
For some time, I've wanted to do a Zorro story,  
especially one based on the New World television  
series. My primary reason is the portrayal of  
Don Diego/Zorro as interpreted by fanfic writers  
and as done by the excellent actor Duncan Regehr.  
Finally, I decided to do a crossover with Carmen,  
another character I like, although an animated one.  
  
The beginning point for my fic is the two-hour  
Zorro episode, "A Conspiracy of Blood". Since  
there are unanswered questions about the ending,  
it seemed like the perfect point to begin my fic.  
I am going to have this episode be a book in my  
fic, and take it from there. The fic occurs two  
months after the Carmen episode "Can You Ever Go  
Home again?".   
  
Because this is a Zorro fanfic as well as a Carmen  
one, there may be a little more violence in this  
fic than in other Carmen fics I've done, but I  
will try to keep any violence as moderate as I  
possibly can.  
  
The title comes from the Dickens novel "A Tale of  
Two Cities" and refers to the fact that both Carmen  
and Zorro are outlaws, although for different reasons.  
  
Now on with the story!  
  
Belle Book  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Part One  
  
Two months after the Avalon incident  
  
Carmen arrived back at VILE Headquarters  
in Paris, France. It had been a good return to  
her profession.  
  
After her last caper, she had needed some  
rest. After all, she'd had to deal with finding  
a father she'd thought she'd lost, then having to  
deal with Lee Jordan's blackmailing of her with  
Avalon's life so she could steal for him, then  
having to save both Avalon's life and the lives  
of the Acme detectives, then losing her possible  
father when Avalon lost his memory. It was very  
draining.  
  
Maybe that's why toward the end of her  
vacation, she'd discovered a book which somehow  
spoke to her, although in a reverse situation.  
A book that she had interrupted completing to  
finally plan her series of thefts, all of them  
having to deal with masks.  
  
Eventually, Ivy and Zack caught up with  
her and regained the masks she stole, of course.  
But she had escaped, as usual.  
  
And now she was back home, ready to read  
the book she'd picked up during her vacation.  
  
The book was "A Conspiracy of Blood" and  
it dealt with the adventures of the famous outlaw  
El Zorro. Carmen knew that "El Zorro" meant "The  
Fox" in Spanish. She'd also read a few other books  
about Zorro's adventures, and knew that El Zorro  
was really Don Diego de la Vega, a young nobleman  
who became El Zorro to combat the injustice of  
first Alcalde Ramone, and then Alcalde deSoto.  
  
Carmen had read "A Conspiracy of Blood"  
all the way to the point where Gilberto Resendo  
(or Gilberto de la Vega) was about to reveal Diego's   
secret and then shoot Diego. However, deSoto shot   
Resendo to save Diego's life.  
  
So she picked up the book, and read:  
  
"Don Alejandro drove the cart carrying Inez  
Resendo and her so-called son's body into town.  
DeSoto, Felipe, and Diego followed the cart.  
  
"DeSoto dismounted and told a corporal that  
Resendo had brought with him that the Alcalde was  
reassuming command and that Resendo's soldiers had  
to leave at dawn the following morning. He also  
had Resendo's body carried away.  
  
"Inez Resendo had gotten off the cart, and  
Don Alejandro told her, 'You stole my son and filled  
him with hatred. I can forgive him, but you, senora  
-- never.'  
  
"Inez Resendo left under guard. Mendoza was  
relieved it was over.  
  
"DeSoto told Mendoza to report to him in his   
office. Mendoza left to do so, then deSoto came to   
Don Alejandro. DeSoto said,  
  
"'I never knew he was your son.'"  
  
"Don Alejandro said, 'None of us did. You  
also saved a son of mine. And that I will never for-  
get.'  
  
"Diego said, 'Nor I.'  
  
"DeSoto said, 'Well, if you'll excuse me, I  
have a compelling need to see Father Benitez.' He  
then left to go seek the good padre out. This sur-  
prised Diego. Was the Alcalde no longer going to  
persecute the people of Reina de los Angeles? Or  
was he going to seek the padre out because this was  
the first time he'd really faced death?  
  
"Victoria approached the de la Vegas and  
Felipe. She said, 'I heard what happened. I'm so   
sorry.'  
  
"Don Alejandro said, 'It's hard to gain a son  
and then lose him all in the same hour.'"  
  
_I know something of how you must feel, Don  
Alejandro,_ thought Carmen. She didn't know what it  
was like to gain a son and then lose him in an hour,  
but she did know what it was like to gain a father  
and then lose him in a matter of days.  
  
She continued reading:  
  
"'Gilberto was suckled on vengeance,' said  
Diego. He added, 'I wish I'd known him as a brother,  
and not as an enemy.'  
  
"Victoria replied, 'Perhaps if he'd had a  
different life, you'd have been proud of him instead,  
Diego.'  
  
"Diego privately agreed. But the mention  
of a different life reminded him that he had a life  
different from that he showed others. He'd already  
shown one part of that life -- his ability with a  
sword. His father would eventually ask him where  
he learned to fight like he did -- and why Diego  
had never told him.  
  
"It was time to tell the truth, Diego now  
realized. Or so he thought.  
  
"Diego took a deep breath and said, 'There  
is something I've been meaning to tell you all for   
quite some time now. Now would be an appropriate  
moment.'  
  
"He turned to Felipe and said, 'Felipe, with  
your permission.'  
  
"Felipe looked worried, but didn't protest.  
  
"Diego then began to say that he was Zorro,  
but he could only say 'I -- I am' before he was  
unable to say what he wanted to say. Instead, he  
concluded, '-- going to adopt Felipe. He's going  
to be a member of our family.'  
  
"Victoria and Don Alejandro were both very  
happy. Don Alejandro hugged Felipe and said, 'This  
is wonderful news! This is wonderful news! I now   
have two sons! The de la Vegas will never be divided.   
Never!'  
  
"Felipe sighed in relief, and Diego also felt  
relieved. But he knew he had to tell the truth. He  
would have to tell his father privately, however.  
  
"Then Don Alejandro said, 'Diego, there's  
been something gnawing inside of me.' Diego knew it   
was time.  
  
"Diego said, 'Father, there is something I've  
been meaning to tell you for quite some time now.'  
  
"Diego urged Felipe and Victoria to stay  
back, and he and Don Alejandro walked on. Felipe  
looked worried.  
  
"Don Alejandro said, 'Do you remember when  
Gilberto was about to shoot you? He said he was not   
only going to kill you, he was also going to kill  
-- and then he never finished. What do you suppose  
he was going to say, Diego?'"  
  
The book concluded at that point, but there  
was something written, kind of like an epilogue.  
  
Carmen read the writing. It said that the  
reply Diego made would open another story -- which  
was the conclusion to the Zorro legend.  
  
Carmen frowned. She had to find this final  
story. She wanted to know how it would end. She  
wanted to know what happened to Diego. While he  
wasn't like her in his reasons for being an outlaw,  
the fact that he had been an outlaw and she was one  
too did enable her to feel a kind of kinship with  
him.  
  
_______________________________________________________________________  
  
Two weeks later  
  
Carmen was really frustrated. She'd examined  
all the computer records for Zorro stories, and had  
found every story that had been written -- except  
for the conclusion. She'd even asked her lawyer, Lee  
Galeese, to find documentation on this conclusion.  
  
While she'd been waiting for his letter, Carmen  
managed to find a Zorro biography written by Zorro's  
author, Johnston McCulley, about a year before McCulley's  
death in 1959. It had described how he managed to col-  
lect the stories about Zorro from one of Zorro's descen-  
dants in California in 1915, and summarized the stories  
themselves as well. She had hoped the biography would   
shed some light on the missing conclusion. Unfortunately,  
the last story summarized in the biography was the one  
she had just read. Lee Galeese was her last hope.  
  
Now she had a letter from him. She hoped at  
last, she might have some clue as to this lost story.  
  
The letter said:  
  
Dear Carmen,  
I was able to find out what happened  
to the story you requested. McCulley had written  
the story you requested. However, he died before  
it could be published, and the manuscript was  
destroyed in a big fire in his home. Since  
all the other stories were in print, copies  
of them were safe.  
  
I am truly sorry.  
  
Lee Galeese  
If Carmen was really frustrated before, she  
was even more so now. How was she going to find out  
the ending of the Zorro legend if it was completely  
lost?  
  
That's when the idea came to her.  
  
_Why not go back in time to just before Diego's  
reply to his father? You would be in a great position  
to find out what happened.  
_  
It would be a challenge, she knew. But when  
was the last time she shrank from a challenge?  
  
But first, she might as well have a little  
fun before carrying out her project.  
  
And before taking on what would turn out to  
be one of her biggest challenges yet.  
  
To be continued  



	2. Chasing Carmen

"A Tale of Two Outlaws"  
by Belle Book  
  
Part Two  
  
Acme HQ, San Francisco, a week later  
  
Ivy and Zack were in Acme Headquarters,  
trying to figure out where Carmen was going to  
strike next. That was never easy, especially  
when Carmen had not stolen anything for three  
weeks.  
  
That's when the Chief said, "Hot tip!  
Carmen's gotten away with a sculpture inside  
the Thorvaldsens Museum!"  
  
"The Thorvaldsens Museum?" asked Zack.  
"Isn't that a museum devoted to Bertel Thor-  
valdsen?"  
  
A picture of Bertel Thorvaldsen came  
up as the Chief said, "Yes, it is. Thorvaldsen  
was a Danish neo-classicist sculpture. In fact,  
he was Denmark's greatest sculptor. He studied  
in Copenhagen, then went to Rome to further his  
training.   
  
He is best known for such works as 'Ja-  
son and the Golden Fleece', 'Lion of Lucerne',  
'A Shepherd Boy', and 'Ganymede'."  
  
"Wasn't Ganymede a famous Trojan youth  
whom Zeus kidnapped because he needed a new cup-  
bearer?" asked Ivy.  
  
A funny picture of Ganymede's kidnapping  
appeared as the Chief said, "He was. Zeus, ap-  
parently, was impressed by his handsomeness, so  
he disguised himself as an eagle and carried off  
Ganymede. Hey, look out!"  
  
Apparently, Ganymede had the Chief's face,  
so when the eagle came to sweep "Ganymede" away,  
he took the Chief.  
  
"Drop me, you stupid bird!" yelled the  
Chief.  
  
Sure enough, the eagle dropped "Ganymede",  
who fell to the ground shaken but unharmed. The  
picture faded in an instant.  
  
"Well, let's go," said Ivy, always ready  
to chase Carmen.  
  
"Player, C-5 us to Copenhagen, Denmark,"  
said Zack.  
  
The C-5 corridor opened and as Ivy and  
Zack disappeared inside it, the Chief said,  
  
"You're on your way from San Francisco,  
California, to Copenhagen, the capital of Den-  
mark."  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen, 5:00 PM  
  
Once Ivy and Zack arrived on the scene,  
the police briefed them on what had happened  
  
Apparently, Carmen had gotten some of  
her henchmen inside to steal "A Shepherd Boy",  
a marble sculpture done between 1817 and 1825   
  
Carmen's henchmen used a forklift to  
steal the sculpture, and then they had carried  
it out the back to a waiting van.  
  
About that time, the guards found the  
sculpture missing and they pursued the thieves,  
but lost them.  
  
Returning to the museum, they found a  
doll located near where "A Shepherd Boy" was  
once located. A doll which they gave to Ivy  
and Zack as soon as they arrived.  
  
The doll was dressed in a colorful  
dress. Zack examined the back, where he found  
two settings. He pressed one.   
  
Immediately the doll began to dance to  
some music. Zack immediately recognized it.  
  
"Hey, that doll's doing the flamenco,  
a world-famous Spanish dance!"  
  
"Why would Carmen send us a doll that  
could do the flamenco?" asked Ivy.  
  
"Maybe because she wants us to go to  
Spain," said Zack.  
  
"What does the other setting do?" ask-  
ed Ivy.  
  
"Let's find out," said Zack. He press-  
ed the other setting.  
  
The doll began to speak in Spanish.  
"What does it say, Zack?" asked Ivy.  
  
"It says, 'Look for a famous milk maid  
which can only be found in a painting,'" said  
Zack, who knew Spanish.   
  
"It has to be a milk maid in a Spanish   
painting. The flamenco clue does point us to   
Spain. But where in Spain? Player, access   
Spanish paintings featuring milk maids."  
  
A beautiful picture of a milk maid  
appeared as the Chief said, "Shortly before  
his death in 1828, Francisco de Goya y  
Lucientes painted a picture of a milk maid  
in Bordeaux, France, where he was staying  
to escape the harsh rule of King Ferdinand  
VII. It was entitled 'The Milk Maid of  
Bordeaux.'"  
  
As the Chief spoke, the picture   
changed from that of a milkmaid to that of  
Goya and then that of ferdinand VII.  
  
"Goya!" said Ivy. "He was one of the   
most famous painters in Spanish history,  
wasn't he?"  
  
"He sure was," said Zack. "Where is  
this painting located?"  
  
"It's located, along with most of Goya's   
paintings, inside the Prado Museum in Madrid,"   
said the Chief.  
  
"Player, C-5 us to the Prado Museum in  
Madrid, Spain," said Zack. "Carmen's trail  
just heated up!"  
  
They disappeared in the C-5 corridor  
where the Chief told them all about Spain.  
  
"Ah, Spain. It's famous for its  
colorful bullfights, its nice climate, and  
its castles. Madrid, its capital city,  
has the Prado Museum, which contains one  
of the world's finest art collections,  
and the National Library in Madrid, which  
has more than 3 million volumes," said  
the Chief. "Next stop, the Prado Museum."  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
The Prado Museum, Madrid, 5:02 PM   
  
Carmen picked up the painting she  
wanted. "The Milk Maid of Bordeaux" was a  
lovely painting, one of Goya's most serene  
ones. That was very interesting considering  
that this was painted toward the end of his  
life, when he was an exile and after a series  
of paintings dealing with very violent themes.  
  
Afterwards, she had one more theft  
to make, and that one was actually the most  
important one of all.  
  
One of her henchmen from California  
had found out that on a Luiseno reservation  
in California, there was a shaman who had a  
recipe for an herbal medicine that healed  
gunshot wounds -- the kind of wound Don Diego  
suffered from. She planned to steal the  
medicine and use it to treat Diego's wound.  
  
Of course, once she was done with it,   
if there was any of it left, she'd let the  
detectives recover it, just as she planned  
to let the detectives recover the sculpture  
and this painting.  
  
At that moment, she heard the sound  
of the C-5 behind her. Turning around, she  
saw Ivy and Zack emerge.  
  
"Nice day for an arrest, huh, Carmen?"  
Ivy asked.  
  
"Well, well, look who's here," she  
said. "Come and catch me, detectives."  
  
And with that she ran out of Room  
36, where the painting was located, and  
into Room 37. Once inside Room 37, she  
ran out the door, and toward the stairs.  
  
Behind her, she heard Ivy and Zack.  
  
It was time for her latest escape.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
Outside Room 37  
  
Ivy reached the hallway and ran to-  
ward the stairway. Zack was right behind  
her.  
  
They saw Carmen racing past Room 39,  
then saw her stop at the stairs.  
  
"We've got you now, Carmen!" Ivy cried.  
  
That's when Carmen raised her right arm   
and touched something on her right wrist. Im-  
mediately, a line and hook shot out and wrapped  
itself around the railing.  
  
Carmen leapt over the railing and the   
line shot down toward the ground floor.  
  
Ivy and Zack raced down the stairs,  
and Ivy got a brief glimpse of Carmen run-  
ning toward the Murillo Door.  
  
By the time Ivy and Zack reached the   
ground floor and the Murillo Door, however,   
Carmen was already outside.  
  
Outside, Ivy and Zack saw Carmen  
starting her red motorcycle-like vehicle.  
  
Carmen did not close the cockpit  
right away, however. Instead, she said,  
  
"Nice job, detectives. Here."  
  
And with that, she threw to them a   
globe, which Ivy ran to catch. Fortunate-  
ly, Carmen had a very good arm and Ivy   
caught it easily.  
  
Carmen then said, "I'm off to see  
someone who practices Changichngish."  
  
With that she closed the cockpit  
and drove away. Before the detectives  
could get any motorcycles to pursue her,  
however, the vehicle sprouted wings.  
  
A jet engine fired, and within min-  
utes, Carmen was in the air and flying away   
from Madrid.  
  
"She got away again!" Ivy yelled,  
frustrated over Carmen's cleverness.  
  
"Well, at least we got a clue," said   
Zack.  
  
"Two," said Ivy. She looked at the   
globe Carmen had given her.  
  
It had a strange scene inside it. A   
scene of a beach and waves, almost like an  
ocean.  
  
"An ocean beach?" asked Ivy. "I don't  
get it."  
  
______________________________________________________________   
  
Ten minutes later   
  
Both Zack and Ivy were still trying   
to figure out what the significance of the   
globe was. However, they were getting  
nowhere.  
  
"Maybe we should try the other clue  
she gave," said Zack. Player, access the  
word Carmen gave us -- Changichngish."  
  
The Chief said, "Changichngish was  
both the name of a chief of the Luiseno tribe   
of southern California, and of a religion of   
that particular tribe.  
  
"The chief provided remedies for ill-  
nesses and diseases, and ways to conserve   
and manage Luiseno tribal religion.   
  
"The religion named after him thrived   
at villages associated with the Mission San   
Luis Rey, which was founded in 1798. It was  
apparently a desperate and ultimately suc-  
cessful effort to keep their culture as con-  
tinuous as possible in the midst of all the  
changes due to the Spanish invasion."  
  
(Author's note: the previous information was  
obtained from the Encyclopedia of North Amer-  
ican Indians by Frederick Hoxie. I found it  
at my workplace -- a library.)  
  
Ivy asked, "But what does it have to  
do with this globe with a beach and waves?  
  
"How many reservations in California  
have Luiseno Indians on it?" asked Zack.  
  
"Six," said the Chief. "They're all  
in San Diego and Riverside Counties. There's  
the Pala Indian Reservation about 50 miles  
from Oceanside, California --  
  
"Wait a second!" Zack cried. "The Mis-  
sion San Luis Rey is near Oceanside, and if I  
remember my history correctly, there was a re-  
lated mission called San Antonio de Pala, in  
San Diego county."  
  
"And Oceanside is in that county!" cried   
Ivy, suddenly seeing the truth.  
  
"That's why Carmen's globe had a beach   
and waves. She was suggesting Oceanside,   
California!" Ivy realized.  
  
"And she wants us to go to the Pala  
Indian Reservation near Oceanside," said  
Zack. "But what would attract her atten-  
tion there?"  
  
"I don't know but let's find out," said  
Ivy. "Player, C-5 us to the Pala Indian Reser-  
vation near Oceanside, California."  
  
The C-5 corridor opened. Ivy and Zack   
disappeared inside it.  
  
"You're on your way from Madrid to  
the Pala Indian Reservation near Oceanside,  
California, once a possession of Spain," the  
Chief said.  
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
Pala Indian Reservation, California, 8:15 AM  
  
Zack and Ivy arrived at the reserva-  
tion.  
  
"Now where do we go?" asked Ivy.  
  
"She said that she was going to see  
someone who practiced Changichngish," said  
Zack.  
  
"That's not much help," said Ivy. "Many   
Luiseno natives here probably practice that   
religion, as well as the Roman Catholic   
religion."  
  
"Yes, but the ones who'd probably  
practice it most are the local chief or the  
local shaman. I'd say we begin by trying  
to find either person."  
  
At that moment, a hovercraft flew a-  
bove one of the facilities on the reserva-  
tion, then quickly parked. It was a red  
hovercraft.  
  
Before the detectives could react,  
several blue-coated henchmen came out --  
as did Carmen!  
  
"It's Carmen!" said Ivy.  
  
They raced over to the building.  
  
______________________________________________________________  
  
Shaman Running Brook's office  
  
The local shaman, Running Brook,  
heard the sound of the hovercraft outside.  
Since she'd been busy treating a member   
of her tribe who was sick, she ignored it.  
  
But she could not ignore the en-  
trance of several strange men in blue coats  
and an equally strange woman dressed in a  
long red coat.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
  
The woman spoke, "My name is Carmen  
Sandiego. Would you please tell me where the  
medicine to treat gunshot wounds is?"  
  
"Why should I tell you?" the shaman  
asked.  
  
"Two reasons," said Carmen. "One,  
I wish to use your medicine to help someone  
who has suffered a gunshot wound and needs  
that treatment. He's an outlaw I know and  
I can't get him to the hospital, since I'm  
a thief myself."  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you,"  
Running Brook said. "I only give medicine  
to fellow Native Americans."  
  
"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to   
hold you captive until I do find it," said   
Carmen. "That's the other reason why you  
should have told me."  
  
The henchmen came forward and sur-  
rounded Running Brook.  
  
Luckily, they didn't have to hold her   
very long. Carmen spotted a cabinet and  
went to check it. It was the medicine cab-  
inet, and inside it was Running Brooks's  
medicines.  
  
Carmen picked up a medication and  
took a look at it. The medicine was label-  
led in both the Takic language and Spanish.  
Since Carmen knew Spanish, she read the   
label. It was the medicine she needed.  
  
"Thank you very much, shaman," said  
Carmen. "If there's any left when I'm done  
with it, I'll return it to you."  
  
Then she turned -- in time to see Zack   
and Ivy come barging in.  
  
"Excuse me, shaman," said Carmen.  
"But I believe I had better use your back  
door. Get your medical instruments to a  
safe place."  
  
Then she ran the other way. As Ivy  
and Zack moved to follow her, they were con-  
fronted by Carmen's henchmen. There were  
three henchmen.  
  
Ivy quickly took care of two of them  
with her famous karate chop. Zack dodged  
the third, and Ivy, having taken care of the  
other two, knocked out the third one. She  
then told Running Brook, "Have the Reser-  
vation police arrest those three."  
  
That gave Carmen time to get out the  
back door, however, and by the time Ivy and  
Zack could find her, she was outside, racing  
toward her hovercraft with the herbal med-  
icine in her hand.  
  
Ivy and Zack tried to reach her, but  
Carmen got inside before they could do so.  
She quickly started the hovercraft.  
  
As the hovercraft began to lift off  
the ground, Carmen said,  
  
"I'm off to a city named for a famous  
fighter for Texan independence."  
  
The hovercraft lifted off the ground,  
then a jet engine fired and it flew toward  
the west.  
  
Running Brook came out of her office  
as the cops came in.  
  
"What did she want?" asked Zack in  
Spanish.  
  
The shaman made a reply in Spanish  
as well.  
  
"Well?" asked Ivy.  
  
"She said that Carmen wanted a tribal   
herbal medicine that could treat wounds,  
in particular, gunshot wounds," Zack said.  
  
"I don't get it," said Ivy. "First,  
she steals a sculpture that's from the 1820s,  
then she steals a painting that's also from  
the 1820s, then she steals a herbal medicine.  
What's the connection?"  
  
"If we find out where Carmen's headed,   
we could find out what the connection is,"  
said Zack.  
  
"Player, access famous fighters for  
Texan independence," said Ivy.  
  
Pictures of Davy Crockett and Jim  
Bowie came up first. However, Zack said,  
  
"No, no. Carmen said she was head-  
ing to a city named for a famous fighter for  
Texan independence. And neither one had  
cities named after them."  
  
A picture of Sam Houston came up.  
  
The Chief said, "Sam Houston was a  
leader in the battle for Texan independence  
from Mexico. Later he became president for  
the Republic of Texas, and then a senator  
when it joined the United States.  
  
Toward the end of his life, he was  
its governor briefly, but refused to take  
Texasout of the Union and was removed from  
the governorship. The city of Houston was  
named for him."  
  
"That's as good a start as any," said   
Zack. "Is there any VILE activity in Houston?  
  
The Chief said, "You're in luck. Acme   
Bugnet picked up a transmission just a few min-  
utes ago from a VILE henchman to Carmen. They  
have just given me the coordinates.  
  
"The location is on Gaveston Road,  
near the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center."  
  
"Player, C-5 us to the coordinates  
Acme Bugnet obtained," said Ivy.  
  
The C-5 corridor opened and Ivy and  
Zack disappeared inside it.  
  
To be continued  



	3. Carmen Meets Zorro

"A Tale of Two Outlaws"  
by Belle Book  
  
Part Three  
  
The VILE Base on Gaveston Road, Houston  
  
Ivy and Zack emerged from the C-5 Corridor.  
  
_Looks like Josha's modifications to the C-5  
Corridor worked,_ Ivy thought, as she looked a-  
round her.  
  
They were in a corridor. Most of the doors  
they saw were open, but one was closed.  
  
Ivy and Zack snuck up to the closed door  
and tried it. It was unlocked.  
  
Opening the door, Ivy and Zack peeked  
in.  
  
To their surprise, they saw Carmen, a  
scientist -- and Carmen's time machine! They  
also saw "A Shepherd's Boy" and "The Milk   
Maid of Bordeaux" nearby.  
  
"How would Carmen be able to get both   
that painting and that sculpture inside her time  
machine?" Zack whispered to Ivy. "And where's  
the medicine she stole?"  
  
"I don't know, but I think it's time we found  
out," said Ivy.  
  
She then pushed the door open and asked,  
"What are you up to this time, Carmen?"  
  
"You'll see," said Carmen. "Two of the i-  
tems I stole are the clues."  
  
With that, she ran to her time machine.  
Zack and Ivy began to follow her, but two of  
Carmen's henchmen stood in their way.  
  
Of course, Ivy took care of the henchmen  
with her famous karate chops, but by the time  
she did so, Carmen had already gotten into  
the time machine and turned it on!  
  
Ivy and Zack ran toward it, but it was too  
late. The time machine spun rapidly, then  
disappeared in a flash!  
  
"She got away again!" cried Ivy.  
  
"Chief, send us the Chronoskimmer!" Zack  
said.  
  
"OK," said the Chief. "I'm sending it with  
someone you probably know very well."  
  
A minute later, Armando Arguello, an Ar-  
gentinian detective Ivy and Zack knew very  
well, arrived with the Chronoskimmer!  
  
"Ivy, Zack! It's been a while since we man-  
aged to stop Lee Jordan from taking control  
of VILE," said Armando.  
  
"Armando!" Zack cried. "And you have the  
Chronoskimmer!" Armando gave the Chrono-  
skimmer to Zack.  
  
"How'd the Chief get hold of you so quick-  
ly?" asked Ivy.  
  
"I wanted to find out how you were doing,  
so I went over to Acme Headquarters," explain-  
ed Armando. "The Chief explained what you  
were doing, so I decided to stay there in case  
I was needed."  
  
"Well, we need your help," said Ivy. "Car-  
men's gone back in time, and we must cap-  
ture her. However, it appears she left behind  
"A Shepherd Boy" by Thorvaldsen and "The  
Milk Maid of Bordeaux" by Goya. We need you  
to return them to the museums where they be-  
long."  
  
"I can return the painting easily," said Ar-  
mando. "But I'm going to need some help with  
the sculpture. It's over 4 feet tall, and is prob-  
ably very heavy. However, I think I can call in  
some of my fellow Argentinian agents for help  
with that."  
  
"While you do that, we'll track Carmen down,"   
said Zack as he activated the Chronoskimmer.  
  
"Where's she headed to?" asked the Chief.  
  
Before Zack could answer, the time corri-  
dor opened and he and Ivy disappeared inside   
it, leaving Armando to get help for returning the   
sculpture and the painting.  
  
_______________________________________________________________  
  
Outside Los Angeles, 1821  
  
Carmen's time machine landed behind a   
hill on the road to the de la Vega hacienda.  
  
Carmen said, "Computer, have we arrvied   
at the right time and in the right location?"  
  
The computer said, "Confirmed. The infor-  
mation you gave me allowed me to arrive at the   
exact moment that Diego de la Vega said that   
he was going to adopt Felipe. We are current-  
ly on the road to the de la Vega hacienda."  
  
_Good_, thought Carmen. After she decided   
which objects she wanted to steal besides the   
herbal medicine, she had her scientist program   
the time machine, giving him her book as the   
guide.  
  
She had decided it would be best to arrive   
at the exact moment that Diego's decision to   
tell his father and Victoria that he was Zorro   
took an unexpected detour. So she told her   
scientist to program the time machine to arrive   
at that moment.  
  
And it looked like he also used the book's   
descriptions of the area to program in the best   
location for her to meet the de la Vegas, just   
as she hoped he would.  
  
And because she needed a good disguise to   
avoid attracting attention, she'd managed to get   
a red dress like that worn by Spanish women in the   
1820s and a dark blue shawl from her secret ware-  
house in New York City.  
  
So, Carmen quickly got out of her normal   
outfit to the red dress, put on her shawl, arrang-  
her hair so that one eye was still hidden, placed   
the medicine bottle into a pocket inside the dress,   
and pushed a button.  
  
Immediately, the door opened and the world's   
greatest thief of the twentieth century, Carmen   
Sandiego, stepped out to face her latest challenge.  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
Los Angeles, 1821, a minute after Carmen's arrival  
outside the pueblo  
  
"Do you remember when Gilberto was a-  
bout to shoot you?" Don Alejandro asked. "He  
said he was not only going to kill you, he was  
also going to kill -- and then he never finished.   
What do you suppose he was going to say,   
Diego?"  
  
Diego hesitated for a minute. While he   
wanted to tell his father the truth, he didn't want   
to tell his father right there.  
  
"Father, I think we'd better go back to the   
hacienda," he finally said.  
  
Don Alejandro looked puzzled for a minute,   
then nodded.  
  
They walked back to Felipe and Victoria.   
Diego signaled to Felipe that they were going   
back to the hacienda.  
  
Then Diego turned to Victoria. He said,   
"Victoria, we're going back to the hacienda.   
We've all had a difficult time and I think we   
need to rest." He knew he did, with that gun-  
shot wound still troubling him.  
  
Victoria said, "Okay, but I hope to see you   
tonight."  
  
"If I'm feeling up to it, I'll see you tonight. If   
not, I'll see you tomorrow," said Diego.  
  
With that, Diego, Don Alejandro, and Felipe   
untied their horses and left the pueblo.  
  
On the way, Diego tried to keep his fears   
from overwhelming his resolve. He had always   
wanted to tell his father the truth -- that he was   
Zorro. But he also wanted to protect his father.  
  
If Zorro was unmasked, he knew that his   
father would be in trouble. So he pretended to   
be too studious, weak-willed, and clumsy with   
a sword, even to his father. And he'd been suc-  
cessful -- until now.  
  
However, his father had seen his skill with   
the sword. He'd be asking questions soon.  
So, Diego had resolved to tell his father the  
truth. He just had to keep his fears from  
stopping him.  
  
His reverie was interrupted at that moment   
by the neighing of his horse.  
  
Looking ahead, he saw the strangest wo-  
man he'd ever seen before. She wore a red dress,   
and a dark blue shawl covered her shoulders. The   
outfit itself wasn't unusual -- many Spanish women   
wore similar outfits -- but her hair was arranged   
in such a way that it covered one of her eyes. Her   
hair was black and the eye that could be seen look-  
ed blue.  
  
"Buenas tardes, senorita," said Don Alejan-  
dro. "Do you need some assistance?"  
  
"Gracias, senor," said the woman. "I was on   
my way from Monterey to San Diego de Alcala   
with some good friends of mine who were going   
to move there.  
  
"We were attacked by bandits and I escaped,   
but my friends were killed. Now, I'm all alone and   
I need a place to stay for a while."  
  
"You can stay at our hacienda till you can con-  
tinue on to San Diego," Don Alejandro said as he,   
Diego, and Felipe all dismounted and approached   
the woman.  
  
"I'm Don Alejandro de la Vega," Don Alejandro   
said. "This is my son, Diego --" Diego nodded --   
"and this young man is his servant, Felipe, who   
will soon be a permanent member of our family."  
  
The woman's face saddened. "Family," she   
said sadly. "That's why I came to San Diego in   
the first place. My parents came there from   
Spain. I was from a poor family, and I was born   
there. But they were killed by Indians and only I   
was left.  
  
"I had no relatives, so I was sent to live   
in an orphanage in the area. When I became a teen-  
ager, I got the opportunity to continue my educa-  
tion in Spain, because I was the best student a-  
mong the women. My name was Carmen, and  
the family who raised me gave me the last name  
Sandiego after my birthplace. So I'm known as  
Carmen Sandiego."  
  
"Welcome to Los Angeles, senorita," said   
Don Alejandro. "You can ride a horse, can't   
you?"  
  
Carmen smiled. "I can."  
  
"Then you can ride with me," said Don Ale-  
jandro. He extended a hand to the woman in   
red. "Felipe's riding with Diego."  
  
Carmen took his hand and pulled herself up,   
seating herself behind Don Alejandro, much to   
the men's surprise.  
  
Once she was on Don Alejandro's horse,  
they continued on their way to the de la Vega  
hacienda.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
"It's kind of you to let me stay at your place,"   
Carmen said.  
  
"It's good to get home again," said Don Ale-  
jandro. "We've had a rough time very recently."  
  
Carmen knew what Don Alejandro was re-  
ferring to, but she couldn't tell them she knew   
the truth yet. So instead she asked, "What hap-  
pened?"  
  
Don Alejandro explained all that had happen-  
ed in the last few days, beginning with Gilberto   
Resendo's arrival in the pueblo, and ending with   
Diego's suggestion that they go back to the hac-  
ienda.  
  
Don Alejandro then explained all about Alcal-  
de DeSoto and his predecessor, Alcalde Ramone.   
They were both tyrants who oppressed the people.   
However, one man fought against them, and that   
man was El Zorro.  
  
"I have heard of him in Spain," said Carmen.   
"I hope to meet him someday."  
  
Of course, she knew that she'd already met   
El Zorro when she met Diego, but only she knew   
that yet. However, Don Alejandro might learn that   
his son was El Zorro soon.  
  
As for her story, she suspected Don Alejandro   
would have it investigated, and that Diego would   
investigate it, too. She knew that Diego would   
probably find out she was lying, and in that case,   
she was prepared to tell him the truth about her-  
self.  
  
A minute later, they arrived at the de la Vega   
hacienda and dismounted. Another servant took   
the horses away while Carmen, Don Alejandro,   
Diego, and Felipe went inside.  
  
________________________________________________________  
  
Inside the de la Vega hacienda  
  
"Felipe, prepare the guest room for Senorita   
Carmen Sandiego," said Diego to Felipe. Felipe   
went to do so.  
  
"Senorita, wait here until Felipe returns," Don   
Alejandro said to Carmen. "He'll take you to the   
guest room."  
  
"All right," said Carmen.  
  
Don Alejandro then turned to Diego.  
  
"Well, can you explain what Resendo meant,   
Diego?" asked Don Alejandro.  
  
Diego said, "Father, would you come with me?"  
  
Don Alejandro agreed, and soon they stood in   
front of the fireplace. Diego took a deep breath to   
steady his nerves.  
  
"Father, did you hear anything about a secret   
passageway built by the previous owner as a way   
of escape from the Indians?" Diego asked.  
  
Don Alejandro frowned, then said, "I believe   
I did hear a rumor about it, but I believed it was   
just a rumor."  
  
Diego pushed the secret lever and the secret   
door opened. "It's no rumor, Father."  
  
______________________________________________________  
  
Inside the cave, a minute later  
  
Don Alejandro couldn't believe what he was   
seeing.  
  
He was in a cave underneath the de la Vega   
hacienda. And the cave was filled with stuff he'd   
recognize anywhere.  
  
There was a table filled with chemicals. There   
was also a stable, and inside the stable was Zorro's   
horse, Toronado! And off to the side, Don Alejandro   
could see the black clothes, hat, cape, and mask of  
Zorro!  
  
But what were they doing under his hacienda?  
  
"Diego, what's all this doing underneath the   
hacienda?" Don Alejandro asked.  
  
Diego said, "Father, I am Zorro. I have always   
been Zorro. When I came home from Spain, I saw   
the tyranny Los Angeles was under, and I realized   
the only way to resist it was to assume a disguise.  
  
"I didn't tell you or Victoria because I wished   
to protect you both. If I was unmasked, you both   
would've been put in jail by the Alcalde. The only   
person who knew was Felipe. He can hear but he  
pretends not to hear so as to aid me."  
  
Don Alejandro couldn't believe it for a minute.   
_My son, Zorro?_ he thought. Then he remembered   
Diego's interest in chemistry -- an interest Zorro   
had as well.  
  
And surely he should've considered the pos-  
sibility that Zorro could avoid being detected for   
so long because he never allowed people to see   
how brave he was in real life!  
  
But the assumption that Zorro would show   
his skills when he didn't wear the mask as well   
as when he did was a natural assumption -- and   
probably the reason why Diego took such a course   
of action.  
  
Diego interrupted Don Alejandro's thoughts by   
asking, "Father, do you hear me?"  
  
"I heard you," Don Alejandro said. "It's just that   
I had to accept what you said." He then cried out,   
"I was such a fool! I thought you were too weak-  
willed to stand up to the Alcalde, and you were  
standing up to him all along! Will you forgive me   
for not seeing the truth?"  
  
"Yes," said Diego. "Will you forgive me for   
deceiving you?"  
  
"Yes," said Don Alejandro. "I'm proud of you   
-- Zorro."  
  
They hugged, never seeing somebody peek-  
ing out from the passageway.  
  
Carmen Sandiego smiled as she watched   
them, then crept back up to wait for Felipe.  
  
To be continued  
  
  



	4. A Dangerous Arrival

"A Tale of Two Outlaws"  
by Belle Book  
  
Part Four  
  
Just outside Los Angeles, 1821  
  
A blue circle of light appeared  
just outside the pueblo of Los Angeles,  
depositing two very unusual teenagers.  
Then, the circle vanished.  
  
Ivy and Zack looked around them.  
  
"Where are we, little bro?" asked  
Ivy.  
  
"According to the Chronoskimmer,"  
whispered Zack, "we're in Los Angeles,  
California, in the year 1821!"  
  
"What does Carmen want that would  
justify her going back in time to 1821?"  
asked Ivy.  
  
"I don't know, but we'd better find  
out," said Zack.  
  
"Where should we start looking for  
answers?" asked Ivy.  
  
"Well, in that time period, there would've   
been a tavern where people went to eat and   
talk," said Zack. "Let's look for a tavern in   
Los Angeles."  
  
"Okay," said Ivy.  
  
They passed the sign welcoming them  
to Los Angeles, and looked around.  
  
They stood in a plaza, with a number  
of houses and buildings around them. One of  
the buildings was called, "Victoria's Tavern".  
  
"Looks like that's the tavern," said  
Ivy.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Zack. "Who is  
Victoria? And why would a woman run a   
tavern in 1820s Los Angeles?"  
  
"Maybe she's good," said Ivy.  
  
"But most women don't run taverns in  
the 1820s," explained Zack.  
  
"Well, let's find out," said Ivy.  
  
"Wait a minute," said Zack. "Haven't  
we forgotten something?"  
  
Ivy frowned for a minute, then sudden-  
ly realized what Zack was referring to when  
she noticed a peasant woman carrying a basket  
toward one of the houses.  
  
"Clothes!" she whispered. "We need  
appropriate clothes! What do we do?"  
  
"I'd suggest buying some, except we  
probably don't have the appropriate currency,"  
whispered Zack. "Let's find a safe spot so  
we can contact the Chief."  
  
They did so, and when the Chief heard  
about Zack and Ivy's predicament, he said, "No  
problema! The Chronoskimmer is connected to  
the C-5, so all I have to do is C-5 the right  
clothes to you!"  
  
"Make them American clothes from the  
early nineteenth century," said Zack, as they  
had also decided to let people know they were  
American.  
  
"Coming right up," said the Chief. Within   
minutes, clothes that American boys and girls   
of Zack and Ivy's ages wore during this century   
were dropped off. Ivy was less than pleased   
with her outfit, as she hated dresses.  
  
"Do I have to wear this?" she asked as she   
held up her dress.  
  
"Afraid so, sis," said Zack, already putting   
on his new clothes.  
  
Ivy muttered something inaudible as she   
put on her dress. Then their former clothes   
disappeared in the C-5 corridor, ready for them   
when they returned to the 20th century.  
  
Once that was done, Ivy said, "Now we can   
go to Victoria's Tavern."  
  
"Then let's go!" said Zack.  
  
So together, they approached Victoria's  
Tavern.  
  
Once inside, they sat down at the near-  
est table they could find.  
  
A beautiful woman approached them and  
said, "Buenas tardes. I've never seen you  
here before."  
  
"This is our first time here," said Ivy. "My   
name's Ivy, and this is my younger brother,   
Zack."  
  
"I'm Victoria Escalante," said the woman.   
"Welcome to my tavern."  
  
"You own your own tavern?" asked Zack.  
  
"Si. It belonged to my parents," ex-  
plained Victoria. "But my mother died some  
years ago, and my father died recently, so  
I now own it."  
  
"Oh," said Zack.  
  
"So, do you two have parents?" asked  
Victoria. "And what are you doing here in  
the pueblo de Los Angeles?"  
___________________________________________________________  
  
The de la Vega hacienda  
  
While Ivy and Zack were busy talking  
to Victoria, Carmen had gotten up from the   
secret passageway before Felipe returned with   
the news that the guest room had been prepared.  
  
Carmen had already been informed by  
Don Alejandro that Felipe couldn't hear or  
speak. She also knew that Felipe could hear,  
but did not wish to reveal her knowledge of  
that fact just yet, so she signalled to Felipe,   
"Gracias." They were standing in the library   
at that time.  
  
Don Alejandro and Diego emerged from  
the secret passageway. Between the time that  
Carmen left them and their leaving the cave,  
Diego had told his father that he planned to  
tell Victoria as soon as possible, preferably  
that night. He also revealed that he'd been   
wounded by a gunshot from one of Resendo's   
men while trying to rescue Tornado from Resendo.  
  
They entered the library, where they  
learned the guest room had been prepared.  
  
"Gracias for taking me in, Don Alejandro,"   
said Carmen.  
  
"De nada, senorita," said Don Alejandro.  
  
Carmen noticed Diego holding his arm  
stiffly, so she asked, "Something wrong, Don  
Diego?"  
  
The two gave each other a glance. What   
should they tell the senorita?  
  
Finally, Diego said, "It is a wound. I was   
practicing with a gun and clumsily let it go off   
and shoot me in the arm."  
  
Carmen knew Diego was lying, but she  
said nothing.  
  
Instead, she said, "I may have some-  
thing for that."  
  
"You do?" asked Diego.  
  
"Si," Carmen said. "While in Monterey,  
I met an old Indian treating a gunshot wound  
in a fellow Indian. I asked for some of the  
medicine in case I needed it, and he gave it  
to me. Here."  
  
And with that, she withdrew the med-  
icine she had actually stolen out of her coat  
pocket. She'd taken off the label, but she  
already knew it would work quickly.  
  
Carmen said, "Show me your wound, Don  
Diego."  
  
Diego hesitated, then rolled up his shirt,   
exposing the wound.  
  
Carmen poured out some of the medicine,  
and began to rub it in Diego's wound.  
  
"I was told it would work very quickly, so   
quickly that in a few days, one would never   
know there was a gunshot wound," said  
Carmen.  
  
"Gracias, senorita," said Diego.  
  
"De nada," said Carmen.  
  
"Father, maybe you can prepare dinner  
for the senorita while I go to the tavern,"  
Diego said.  
  
Carmen suspected Diego wished to tell  
Victoria the truth, however, and she wished  
to be present when he did.  
  
So instead, she said, "I'd like to see this   
tavern."  
  
Diego looked uncomfortable, so Don  
Alejandro said, "We'll all go. I'll escort  
Senorita Carmen Sandiego."  
  
Diego agreed, and it was settled.  
  
None of them, not even Carmen, knew  
that the following events would make Carmen  
not a witness, but a participant in history.  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
Later that night, at the tavern  
  
Ivy and Zack were sitting at the table,   
drinking orange juice and eating some of   
Victoria's chile con queso.  
  
"This is good," said Zack. "This  
Victoria is a great cook."  
  
"Yes," said Ivy. "And a kind woman.  
After we're finished eating, she's going to  
send us to the church to stay with Padre  
Benitez."  
  
Zack had told Victoria that he and  
Ivy were from the United States, and that  
they had come with their parents to San  
Francisco on a business trip. But while  
in San Francisco, bandits made an attack.  
In the confusion, Zack and Ivy got separated  
from their parents, and hid in a wagon that  
was heading to Santa Barbara.  
  
Once in Santa Barbara, they walked  
to Los Angeles, hoping to get as far away  
from the bandits as possible. Of course,  
Zack wasn't telling the truth, but he had  
to tell something.  
  
Victoria then explained the condition   
of Los Angeles to Ivy and Zack. She told   
how Alcalde Ignacio deSoto unfairly taxed   
the people of Los Angeles, just like Alcalde   
Luis Ramone did before him. However, he   
never got away with his taxation programs,   
because El Zorro always stopped DeSoto.  
  
As Victoria spoke about Zorro, Ivy saw   
that the tavern owner had stars in her eyes.   
It was clear that she loved Zorro.  
  
Victoria then heard the door open, and   
turned to greet the newcomers.  
  
"Don Alejandro! Diego! What a pleasant   
surprise!" Victoria said.  
  
Zack and Ivy turned as well -- and stared.  
  
Standing there was an older gentleman   
with white hair and a small mustache, a tall   
man with black hair, and a black mustache --   
and Carmen Sandiego!  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
"Buenas noches, Victoria," said Diego to   
Victoria.  
  
Carmen watched Don Alejandro and Diego   
greet Victoria.  
  
"Who's the senorita?" asked Victoria. "Do   
I know her?"  
  
"No," said Don Alejandro. "This senorita --   
and she is a senorita -- calls herself Carmen   
Sandiego. She was travelling to San Diego,   
where she was born, when she ran into a bandit   
attack on the way and lost all her companions."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Victoria.   
"Welcome to the pueblo de Los Angeles, Car-  
men Sandiego."  
  
Carmen said, "Gracias."  
  
"Oh, Don Alejandro, there's some other   
newcomers, from America, who also ran into   
some problems," said Victoria.  
  
She turned to wave two teenagers over.   
Carmen recognized them at once.  
  
It was Ivy and Zack.  
  
Ivy and Zack came over and Victoria   
introduced them to the de la Vegas and to   
Carmen. To Carmen's relief, Ivy and Zack   
gave no sign of recognition.  
  
"Why don't we sit down with you, Ivy   
and Zack?" said Don Alejandro. "You are   
all alone here, and we must extend hospi-  
tality to you."  
  
"Gracias, Don Alejandro," said Zack.  
  
Ivy, Zack, Carmen, Don Alejandro, and   
Diego sat down and Victoria took the orders   
of the newcomers. Then she went to get   
them all what they ordered.  
  
In a few minutes, she came back with   
the food and drinks -- beer for Don Alejandro   
and Diego, and orange juice for Carmen.  
  
As Carmen sipped her orange juice,  
she happened to hear the door to the ta-  
vern slam open.  
  
Looking, she saw a tall, average-looking   
man who was dressed well. What she didn't   
know was that this man was to be the person   
who would cause her to take part in history,   
and not just watch it unfold.  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
"I want service!"  
  
The voice startled Diego. Turning around,   
he stared.  
  
_Don Luis Alvarez!_ he thought to himself.  
  
Victoria came up to him and asked what   
he wanted.  
  
"I want a room and some supper!" Don Luis   
commanded.  
  
Victoria led him to a table and began to   
take his order. Diego's eyes followed them.  
  
"Something wrong, Don Diego?" asked his   
father.  
  
"Si," said Don Diego. "I think I should ex-  
plain, both for you and for the other three, who   
don't know me.  
  
"Carmen, Ivy, Zack, almost ten years ago,   
I went to the University of Madrid to study the   
sciences. I also was to study the sabre."  
  
"Under Sir Edmund Kendall," Don Ale-  
jandro explained.  
  
Diego continued, "While I was at the   
University, I met Don Luis Alvarez. He was   
from San Juan Capistrano."  
  
"I think I've heard of the man," said Don   
Alejandro. "He left the University shortly be-  
fore I sent for you, didn't he?"  
  
"Yes," said Diego. "But he was forced to   
leave."  
  
"Why?" asked Carmen.  
  
"He was extremely reckless," explained   
Diego. "He provoked a few fights and would've   
provoked many more if I hadn't stopped them.  
  
"Finally, he became fed up with my inter-  
ference, and challenged me to a duel. I tried   
to calm him down, to keep the duel from hap-  
pening, but I finally had no choice."  
  
"How good was he?" asked Carmen.  
  
"Very good," said Diego. "Fortunately, I   
got extremely lucky and defeated him."  
  
In fact, there was nothing lucky in Diego's   
defeat of Don Luis. Diego won by means of   
his extraordinary skill. But Diego had to tell   
that lie to Ivy, Zack, and Carmen, since he had   
no idea they were from the future, and that Car-  
men knew of his skill.  
  
"Don Luis became so furious over losing to   
me that finally he was forced to leave the Uni-  
versity before graduation," Diego concluded.  
  
"What happened to him?" asked Carmen.  
  
"I heard he went to Mexico, and later heard   
that he was taking part in the strife between   
Spain and rebels in Mexico who wanted inde-  
pendence," Diego said.  
  
"Do you think he's here to stir up trouble?"   
Carmen asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I think so," said Diego.  
  
In fact, Diego suspected that if Don Luis   
was in California, Mexico was probably on the   
verge of independence, and therefore, he might   
be trying to bring about independence from   
Spain in California by means of force. And   
bloodshed.  
  
Diego couldn't let this happen. Neither   
could Zorro.  
  
They finished dinner, then went to say   
goodbye to Victoria.  
Victoria asked Diego to please escort   
Ivy and Zack to Padre Benitez, where they   
could stay until word could be found about   
their parents. Diego promised he'd do so.  
  
Then he asked, "Victoria, are there any   
guests staying the night besides the new-  
comer?"  
  
"No," said Victoria. "Just Don Luis Al-  
varez. That's what his name is. He's stay-  
ing in one of the two upstairs rooms. That   
one," she pointed up the stairs to a room on   
the right.  
  
"Thank you, Victoria," said Diego.  
  
Then all of them left the tavern.  
  
___________________________________________________________  
  
Later that night, outside the tavern  
  
Carmen was glad she remembered  
how to ride a horse. And that she had  
brought some of her gadgets with her  
to the past.  
  
She knew that at this point in history,   
Mexico was gaining its independence from   
Spain. She also suspected that Don Luis's   
coming to Los Angeles had something to   
do with the fight for independence.  
  
Don Luis was a violent person, who   
would probably prefer to bring this indepen-  
dence about by means of violence. The idea   
repelled Carmen. She was nonviolent, and   
would rather use her wits than her fists to   
achieve her goals. That was another quality   
that she had in common with Zorro.  
  
No doubt Zorro would be coming along   
soon to find out what Don Luis was up to.   
However, she planned to find out herself,   
and if he planned something extremely viol-  
ent, it would have to be stopped.  
  
Even if it meant revealing the truth about   
herself to Zorro.  
  
It was time to get to work.  
  
Carmen pushed a button on her left wrist.   
A line and hook latched itself around the bal-  
cony.  
  
Carmen pulled herself up and over the bal-  
cony, then tried the window. It was locked   
and shuttered.  
  
However, she knew the window locks were   
latch-hooks, and she could get past it easily.   
She just hoped Don Luis wasn't inside his room.  
  
Carmen took a pick from one of her coat   
pockets and used it on the lock. It worked   
perfectly.  
  
Carmen quietly opened the window and   
peeked inside. There was no one inside the   
room.  
  
_Good,_ she thought. _I can sneak in and   
out before he knows I'm even there._  
  
So, Carmen snuck through the window   
and inside the room.  
  
As soon as she snuck inside, a shadow   
emerged.  
  
It was Zorro.  
  
To be continued  
  
  



	5. Carmen and Zorro's Discovery

"A Tale of Two Outlaws"  
by Belle Book  
  
Part Five  
  
A minute later, outside Don Luis's room  
  
Zorro had ridden Tornado to a spot underneath   
the balcony so he could stand up on the horse's   
back and reach the balcony railing. Once he did   
so, he climbed up the balcony railing and looked   
inside Don Luis's room in the tavern.  
  
Carmen Sandiego was looking around the room.   
She seemed to be searching for something im-  
portant. But what? And what was her possible   
connection to Don Luis Alvarez?  
  
Zorro remembered how all this happened. After   
returning to the hacienda, Diego had said he had   
a headache and had to retire. Carmen had said   
she was tired from walking all day and would re-  
tire early herself. She went to the guest room.  
  
Instead of going to his room, Diego had went to   
the cave with Felipe and Don Alejandro. Diego   
changed into his Zorro costume while Felipe sad-  
dled Tornado.  
  
Then Don Alejandro and Felipe went up to check   
on Carmen, while Zorro went to check on Don Luis   
and find out what he was up to.  
  
At the tavern, he led Tornado around the back, and   
looked around to see if anyone else was around.  
  
That's when he heard hoofbeats approaching. Zor-  
ro hid Tornado behind a big shrub while he check-  
ed out who it was approaching. To his surprise, it   
was Carmen on a de la Vega horse.  
  
He saw Carmen tie her horse to a post, then use a   
very unfamiliar device to get to the balcony railing.  
She then picked the lock to enter Don Luis's room.  
  
Now Zorro saw Carmen open Don Luis's suitcase.   
It was empty.  
  
Wait a minute! Carmen seemed to be examining   
the suitcase. She frowned, then searched it fur-  
ther.  
  
After a minute, Carmen gasped, then reached into   
the suitcase, pulling out what appeared to be some   
papers. The suitcase had a false bottom!  
  
Carmen closed the suitcase and went to the bed.   
Sitting down on it, she began to read the papers.  
  
That was enough for Zorro. He had to find out what   
Carmen wanted with papers of Don Luis. Was she   
involved with Don Luis? Or did she wish to stop   
him?  
  
Zorro slipped inside the window, determined to find   
out what Carmen was up to.  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
Inside Don Luis's room  
  
Carmen almost couldn't believe her eyes. Yet she was   
certain what she read was true.  
  
What she was reading was two papers. One was a list   
of weapons. The other was a letter.  
  
The letter was from a businessman in Mexico City nam-  
ed Rodrigo Martinez. Apparently, he was to smuggle in   
weapons for Don Luis to use for the purpose of freeing   
California from Spanish tyranny. Don Luis was to gain   
support for the armed revolution from among the Cali-  
fornians. Los Angeles was to be the first spot Don Luis   
was to gain supporters, and the eventual center of the   
revolution.  
  
Carmen had to stop this from happening. And the first   
thing she had to do was tell Zorro the following morning,   
when he was Diego.  
  
Of course, that would mean she would have to tell him   
who she really was, and why she was here.  
  
Carmen slipped the papers in her coat pocket. After all,   
she needed them for her purposes.  
  
Then she turned to the window -- in time to see Zorro   
standing there, frowning at her.  
  
Looks like I'm going to have to tell my story sooner than   
I planned, thought Carmen.  
  
________________________________________________________________  
  
"I hope you have a very good explanation for taking those   
papers," Zorro said calmly yet coldly.  
  
He was beginning to believe that Carmen knew more a-  
bout this matter than he'd thought. That meant she had  
been lying about how she came to Los Angeles. If she  
was connected with Don Luis, he'd have to turn her in.  
But if she was here to stop Don Luis, he'd at least lis-  
ten to what she had to say.  
  
"I do have a good reason for taking these papers, but   
first I'd better tell you something very important," Car-  
men whispered.  
  
"First, you must swear that what you have to say is the   
truth," said Zorro.  
  
"I can understand your reasons," said Carmen. "I prom-  
ise."  
  
"Well, what do you have to tell me?" asked Zorro.  
  
  
"First, I must tell you that I know that you are Diego de   
la Vega."  
  
Zorro stood stunned. Was this true? Carmen knew his   
secret? "If this is so, how did you know?" he asked.  
  
"I knew because I am from the future," said Carmen. "To   
be precise, over one hundred seventy years in the future."  
  
  
This was almost too much for Zorro to handle. Carmen   
Sandiego had travelled back through time? Zorro was a   
scientist, but this was hard to believe.  
  
"I'm certain this must be hard for you to believe," said Car-  
men. "But it is true. I can prove it to you if we go back to   
where you first met me. My time machine is behind a boul-  
der there."  
  
"Very well," said Zorro. "And if your story turns out to be   
true, I would like you to come to the cave and explain who   
you really are and why you are here to Felipe and to my   
father."  
  
"I will do so," said Carmen.  
  
_____________________________________________________________  
  
Zorro's cave, twenty-five minutes later  
  
Carmen sat in a chair while Diego/Zorro, Don Alejandro, and   
Felipe all stood, listening to her story.  
  
Carmen had led Zorro to her time machine, which had convin-  
ced him that she was telling the truth about her being from the   
future, and by implication, about her knowing who he really   
was.  
  
Once in the cave, they found Felipe and Don Alejandro. They   
were surprised that Zorro had brought Carmen to the cave, but   
Carmen explained that she already knew about it and about   
Zorro.  
  
She then told them that her name really was Carmen Sandiego,   
and that she had apparently lost her mother in a fire, and all   
memories of what her name really was. She was an orphan, or   
so she had assumed until recently, when she discovered that a   
certain Malcolm Avalon might be her father.  
  
She told them of how she had become a detective for the Acme   
agency, but she became too good at detective work. She began   
to feel the need to leave Acme, or else she might burn out. There-  
fore, she left Acme and became a thief. Ivy and Zack were also   
from the future, and were detectives for Acme who always chased   
her.  
  
Carmen assured them that she was not here to steal anything,   
however. She spoke about the crisis she'd undergone recently,   
and how reading the book "A Conspiracy of Blood" had triggered   
in her a desire to find out what happened to Zorro ultimately. That   
was why she was here.  
  
"Unfortunately, it appears I'm going to play a part in the conclusion   
of your story, whatever it is," Carmen concluded.   
  
"And the medicine?" Zorro asked. "How did you get it?"  
  
"I got it from the Luiseno Indians on the Pala Indian Reservation in   
the future," said Carmen. "I asked for it, but the shaman said she   
couldn't give it to me. Therefore, I stole it. However, I will return it   
as soon as I go back into the future."  
  
"You should," said Zorro, his voice soft and somewhat threatening.  
  
"But if you had no intentions of stealing anything in 1821, why did   
you steal Don Luis's papers?" Don Alejandro asked.  
  
Carmen took the papers out of her coat pocket, handed them to  
Zorro, and said, "Once I learned about Don Luis, I was afraid he   
was up to something, so I entered his room, hoping to find some  
indications of his plans. Those papers are what I found, and I be-  
lieve you'll find them interesting, Zorro."  
  
Zorro looked at the papers, then at Carmen. Finally, he handed   
them to Don Alejandro, turned to Carmen, and asked, "Are you   
in favor of violent revolution?"  
  
"I'm against violence," said Carmen. "Ivy and Zack will tell you  
that I'm not violent, and that many times, I've gone out of my way   
to save them from danger even though they were chasing me at   
the time.  
  
"I stole the papers to stop him. I decided to give them to you  
because I know you aren't violent, and that you'd try to stop him.   
I want him stopped."  
  
"So, you're offering to help me," said Zorro. "I must warn you,  
however, I'm in love with Victoria."  
  
Carmen remembered reading two short stories where a woman   
fell in love with Zorro, causing problems for Diego. No doubt Zor-  
ro was thinking of both of those times.  
  
"She doesn't have to worry," said Carmen. "I won't be a rival."  
  
Zorro sighed in relief, and then frowned. "If Don Luis discovers  
the theft, he might think I did it and get the Alcalde after me."  
  
"If that happens, I'll say I did it," said Carmen. "I doubt he'll  
do it, however. That would run the risk of alerting the Alcalde   
to his intentions, and I doubt he'd want to risk that."  
  
"You may be correct," said Zorro.  
  
"I do want one of you to do me a favor," said Carmen. "I want  
you to tell Ivy and Zack to stay inside the church and not to in-  
terfere in any of my actions. They are very young, and Don Luis   
is violent, as you well know, Zorro."  
  
"You do not want them hurt?" Don Alejandro asked.  
  
"No!" said Carmen. Her alarm was real.  
  
Zorro stood up then and said, "I'll go. And then I'll pay Victoria  
a visit. I'll warn her, but not tell her too much. We'll keep the pa-  
pers until we need to reveal them."  
  
Zorro then mounted Tornado.  
  
"Be careful, my son," Don Alejandro said. Felipe also signalled  
his desire for Zorro to be careful.  
  
"Be careful, Don Diego," Carmen said.  
  
"I will," said Zorro. Then he left the cave.  
  
_________________________________________________________  
  
The church in Los Angeles, a few minutes later  
  
Ivy and Zack were in a little room inside the church talking to the  
Chief. Padre Benitez had left them and gone to check on the or-  
phans who lived with the Padre.  
  
They explained what they had found in Los Angeles, including the  
fact that the de la Vegas had taken in Carmen Sandiego.  
  
"We still need to know why Carmen's here," said Ivy. "And why  
she's with Don Alejandro and Diego de la Vega."  
  
The Chief accessed his memory banks for a minute.  
  
"Diego de la Vega -- I think I remember the name," he said.  
  
"The tavern owner -- Victoria Escalante -- also mentioned Zorro,"  
Zack added. "Maybe we should find him and tell him about Car-  
men."  
  
"Zorro! That's where I remember the name!" said the Chief sud-  
denly. A picture of Zorro came up as the Chief continued, "Zorro   
was a famous outlaw from Califoria during the colonial period. He   
fought against injustice and tyranny. But until later, nobody knew   
who he really was."  
  
"Who is he?" asked Ivy.  
  
Zack then gasped, as the reason why the Chief would remember  
Zorro's name in connection with that of Don Diego, suddenly hit  
him. "Diego de la Vega? Is Zorro really Diego de la Vega?" he   
asked.  
  
"Yes," said the Chief. Then he said, "Ack!" and vanished.  
  
Zack and Ivy turned -- to see a man dressed entirely in black, with  
a long, black cape, and a black mask! He carried a whip and a   
sword.  
  
__________________________________________________________  
  
"You are Ivy and Zack?" asked Zorro.  
  
"Yes," said Ivy. "And you are Zorro?"  
  
"Si," said Zorro. "I have a message for you."  
  
"Before you give it, Senor Zorro, we must ask you if you know   
anything about a woman named Carmen Sandiego," asked Zack.  
  
Zorro remembered hearing the Chief Carmen had mentioned re-  
vealing who he was to Zack and Ivy before he was spotted.  
  
"I do," said Zorro. "I know that both of you are from the future,  
and that she's a thief who's also from the future. In fact, she   
was the one who gave me the message I have to give you."  
  
The two stared at each other. "What message would Carmen   
want to give us?" asked Ivy.  
  
"That you stay inside the church and not interfere with her,"  
Zorro said. "You remember hearing about Don Luis Alvarez?"  
  
"Si, Zorro," said Zack.  
  
Zorro explained how he saw Carmen steal papers belonging   
to Don Luis, and his discovery of her purpose in coming to the   
past.  
  
"You mean Carmen was curious about what happened to you   
after this book she read, and that's why she's here in the past?"   
asked Zack.  
  
"Si," said Zorro. "As for the papers, they reveal plans to smug-  
gle weapons inside California for a violent revolution. I want to   
stop this, and so does Senorita Carmen. But she does not want   
you involved."  
  
"Why?" asked Ivy.  
  
"Because she does not want you hurt," said Zorro. "Don Luis  
is both an excellent swordsman and he is violent. He might hurt   
you."  
  
"Are you certain Carmen's purpose in sending you to us is just to   
protect us and not to prevent us from stopping her from stealing   
something valuable here?" asked Ivy.  
  
"When she said she didn't want you hurt, I could hear a genuine   
alarm in her voice," said Zorro.  
  
Ivy and Zack both thought for a minute, then Ivy said, "Let's con-  
tact the Chief."  
  
This will be a first for Zorro, Zorro thought.  
  
_______________________________________________________  
  
A few minutes later  
  
Once the Chief appeared, Ivy and Zack explained the situation.  
Zorro had stood some distance away, listening in but not saying   
anything.  
  
"Chief, do you think that it would be best to do what both Car-  
men and Zorro suggest and remain here in the church?" asked   
Ivy.  
  
The Chief thought for a minute, then said, "If this guy is as vio-  
lent as Zorro says he is, I think it would be best for both of you   
to stay here. Yes, Ivy, that includes you."  
  
Ivy flushed. She knew the Chief was referring to her willingness   
to risk her life in pursuing Carmen.  
  
She still had a hard time believing that Carmen warned them  
through Zorro out of concern for her and for Zack.  
  
Still, she did remember the time that Carmen stole that tower   
in Bavaria, Germany. Ivy was hanging on for dear life as it was   
airlifted when Carmen urged Ivy to take her hand.  
  
Ivy refused, not wishing to accept the help of the woman she   
wished to capture, and thinking she could take care of herself.  
  
What was surprising, now that she remembered it, was that   
Carmen went out of her way to try to help Ivy. And there were   
other times, too, when Carmen went out of her way to help the   
detectives who were always pursuing her.  
  
Also, Zorro seemed to believe that Carmen was concerned a-  
bout them. And, he did know Don Luis, and seemed to believe   
that the guy was dangerous.  
  
So Ivy made up her mind. It would be difficult to stay inside the   
church, but she would do so. So would Zack.  
  
That's when Zack said, "Zorro, I'll stay in the church and not in-  
terfere."  
  
Ivy said, "So will I. I promise."  
  
"Gracias," said Zorro to them. "I will tell Senorita Carmen. But   
first, I must go to the tavern. I wish to speak to Victoria."  
  
Ivy remembered Victoria's telling them about her love for Zorro,   
and Zorro's love for her.  
  
Zorro saluted them all, then disappeared out a window.  
  
"I just hope this Don Luis is not more trouble than Zorro can han-  
dle," said Zack.  
  
Or Carmen, thought Ivy.  
  
__________________________________________________________  
  
Victoria's Tavern, a few minutes later  
  
Victoria had seen Don Luis go to his room, so she went up to   
her own room.  
  
There she was just about ready to open a drawer where she kept   
the ring Zorro had given her, when she heard a pebble hit her win-  
dow.  
  
Zorro? she wondered.  
  
Sure enough, when she looked out her window, there was Zorro.  
  
"I hear you have a guest. Is he in his room?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," said Victoria. Putting on a shawl, she went down, open-  
ed the back door, and let Zorro in.  
  
"I hope I'm not bothering you, Victoria, but I have to tell you some-  
thing very important," said Zorro.  
  
"What?" asked Victoria, realizing something was wrong from the  
serious look on Zorro's face.  
  
"I found out some disturbing news about your guest," said Zorro.  
  
"Don Luis Alvarez?" asked Victoria. Zorro nodded. "What?"  
  
"He plans to have weapons smuggled into California as part  
of a plan to free California from Spanish tyranny -- by means   
of violence. I have to stop him, or innocent lives might be hurt."  
  
"How did you discover this?" asked Victoria.  
  
Zorro seemed to hesitate for an instant, then he said, "When  
I learned he was here, I planned to check his room for evi-  
dence of his intentions her However, someone else had   
the same idea in mind. A senorita in a long red coat stole  
the evidence, and when I caught her, gave it to me."  
  
Carmen Sandiego? thought Victoria, remembering the young   
woman with the de la Vegas.  
  
"Would her name happen to be Carmen Sandiego?" she ask-  
ed.  
  
"Si," said Zorro. "She also wants to stop him. So she asked  
to help me stop him."  
  
Victoria frowned. Senorita Carmen was a rather beautiful wo-  
man.  
  
"I hope you're not interested in Senorita Carmen," she said.  
  
Zorro smiled and said, "No. I love you, querida. I could never  
love anyone else."  
  
Then he drew Victoria into his arms and kissed her, tenderly  
at first, then more passionately. The passion in his kiss was   
all Victoria needed to be reassured of his love for her.  
  
When he raised his head, Victoria said, "I just hope Senorita   
Carmen doesn't try to win you from me."  
  
Zorro chuckled and said, "I told her that I was in love with you.   
She told me she would not be a rival."  
  
Victoria sighed in relief.  
  
"I wish I could stay with you forever," she whispered, resting   
her head against his chest.  
  
"So do I," Zorro whispered, "but I must go now."  
  
Slowly, reluctantly, he released Victoria. He went to the door.  
  
"Hasta luego, querida," he told Victoria, smiling. "Be careful."  
Then he went out the door and was gone.  
  
Remembering what Zorro had told her, Victoria thought, You  
be careful, querido.  
  
To be continued  
  
  
  



End file.
